Following a 0.8% decline in March, retail sales rose 0.9% to $44.3 billion in April. Sales were up in 7 of 11 subsectors, representing 64% of total retail sales.

Higher sales at gasoline stations were the main contributor to the gain. Excluding sales at gasoline stations, retail sales advanced 0.4%.

After removing the effects of price changes, particularly higher gasoline prices, retail sales in volume terms were relatively flat in April.

Sales at gasoline stations rose for the first time since June 2015, up 6.0% in April. This increase largely reflected higher prices at the pump. According to the Consumer Price Index, the price of gasoline was up 8.9% on an unadjusted basis in April, its largest monthly gain since February 2015.